Garment hanger



July 24, 1951 w. E. ZAMBONI GARMENT HANGER Filed March 15, 1946 I I l Patented July 24, 1951 GARMENT HANGER William E. Zamboni, Owatonna, Minn, assignor to Kenneth E. Luger, and Catherine P. Luger, both of Minneapolis, Minn.-, apartnership doing business as Kenneth E. Luger Co.

Application March 15, 1946, Serial No. 654,673

My invention relates to garment hangers of the expansible type and is particularly designed and especially adapted for properly hanging mens trousers and womens skirts.

In expansible garment hangers heretofore developed, the expanding members exert the same degree of expanding force against the garments being hung thereby, irrespective of the weight of the garments. In view of this fact, the expanding force of the hanger is often more than is necessary for very light, sheer garments, but inadequate for the unusually heavy ones, with a result that the former are often unduly stretched out of shape and the latter frequently fall off of the hanger under action of gravity.

The primary object of my invention is the provision of a hanger of the type immediately above described, wherein the degree or extent of the expanding force exerted by the hanger upon the garment being hung or supported thereby, is totally dependent upon the Weight of the garment.

Another important object of my invention is the provision of spaced garment engaging fingers on opposite ends of the hanger which can be utilized effectively in the hanging of trousers by their cuffs.

The above and other numerous objects of my invention will become apparent from the following detailed specification, appended claims, and attached drawings.

Referring to the drawings wherein like characters indicate like parts throughout the several views:

Fig. 1 is a side elevational view showing my novel device supporting the cuif of a trouser, or the like, an expanded position thereof being shown by dotted lines;

Fig. 2 is a View partly in section and partly in plan, taken on the line 22 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken on the line 33 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a view in end elevation of Fig. 1; and

Fig. 5 is a view showing a modified form of construction of the pants cufi engaging fingers, illustrated in Fig. 4.

Referring with greater particularity to the drawings, the numerals l and 2 indicate a pair of horizontally disposed overlapping parallel garment engaging bars. Bars l and 2, preferably, are made from single pieces of wire which are bent double upon themselves to form laterally spaced pairs of parallel legs 3 and 4. Each of the bars I and 2, adjacent their closed ends, are crossed, as indicated at 5, to form loops 6 through which 2 Claims. .901. 223-95),

screw-threaded-bolts'l, having enlarged headsB and nuts 9, are adapted to pass. Enlarged'washers H] are interposed between heads 8 of bolts 1 and the legs 3 and 4 of bar 2, and similar washers [0a are interposed between the burrs 9 and the legs 3 and 4 of bar I. In this manner the bolts are secured against axial movements or against transverse movements with respect to the bars I and 2.

As shown in Figs. 1 to 4 inclusive, the free ends of legs 3 and 4 of bars I and 2 are twisted at H to close the ends of elongated slots l2 formed therebetween. As shown particularly by Figs. 2 and 4, legs 3 and 4 then extend horizontally in opposite directions for a short distance and then extend downwardly to provide a pair of substantially parallel spaced garment engaging fingers I3, preferably having enlarged heads l4.

As shown particularly in Figs. 1, 2 and 3, a pair of supporting arms [5 and I6 have their lower ends pivoted to bolts 1 at points intermediate bars I and 2 and have their upper ends pivoted together to a threaded bolt I! having a nut l8. Preferably, arms I 5 and 16 are made of wire and have their opposite ends formed in loops to receive the threaded bolts 1 and H. A hook l9, also shown as being formed of wire has a depending lower portion 20 which at its extreme end is provided with a loop 2| through which bolt I1 is also adapted to pass, see particularly Fig. 3.

In Fig. 5 I show an alternative manner of forming the spaced pants cufi engaging fingers. Here the legs 3' and 4' of bar I are not twisted but are formed in a continuous U-shaped loop and the inverted U-shaped yoke 22 is secured at its central portion to the closed end of bar I by spot welding, soldering, or the like. In all other respects the structure of Fig. 5 is identical to that of Figs. 1 to 4, inclusive.

It will be obvious that in the use of my novel garment hanger, the weight of the garment being supported by the horizontally disposed overlapping garment engaging bars, is transmitted through supporting arms [5 and 16, to hook l9, and hence, to a supporting structure. The weight of the garment on the hanger will tend to reduce the angulation of the hanger arms 15 and I6, pivoted at 1 and I1, thereby outwardly extending the garment engaging bars, one in respect to the other, and hence exerting an outward force on the garment totally dependent upon the gravity pull exerted by said garment.

What I claim is:

1. An expansible garment hanger comprising a pair of longitudinally slotted bars oriented in overlapping parallel relation one in respect to the other, a pair of downwardly diverging supporting arms pivotally connected together at their upper ends and each being pivoted at its lower end to a different end portion of a difierent one of said bars by a pivot pin extending through the slot in the other of said bars to thereby retain the bars against lateral: separation and'guide the same for endwise-slidin=g movements one in respect "to the other, said slotted bars each comprising a length of wire bent double upon itself to form a pair or laterally spaced parallel legs, the spacedalegs-lof;

each pair of legs being secured together adjacent their ends.

2. An expansible garmenthanger comprising 'a pair of longitudinally slotted barsorientatediin overlapping parallel relation one in respect'to the other, a pair of downwardly divergingsupporting arms pivotally connected together at their upper ends and each being pivoted at its lower 'endto' a 20 difierent end portion of -a difierent one of said bars 'by a pivot pir'r' extending througl'i the slot in l 4 7 against lateral separation and guide the same for endwise sliding movements one in respect to the other, said slotted bars each comprising a length of wire bent double upon itself to form a pair of laterally-spaced parallel legs, said legs being twisted together in adjacent spaced relation to their ends to form a joint, the end portions of the legszbeyond 'the'twisted joint being turned laterally outwardly and downwardly to provide a pair of laterally spaced garment engaging fingers. WILLIAM E. ZAMBONI.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED i STATES PATENTS Penning J Sept; 23', 1941 

